Below the Ice
by appa-appa-away
Summary: Koh the Face Stealer and Hama the bloodbender are back and in league with that same old foe who keeps slipping away from his defeat. Can the GAang save their loved ones from fate? Sequel to Behind the Lies and Beneath the Earth. Zutara and more. R&R.
1. Waiting

**This is a sequel to 'Behind the Lies' and 'Beneath the Earth'. Please read them first, or you will have no idea what is going on here :) Sorry for the wait, school is very inconvenient to the young writer. But here it is for all of you who have been waiting for it.  
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**Read, review and enjoy.  
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1. Waiting**

It was a strange environment for two babies to constantly be in. The doctors who shouldn't have had quite so much to do with them after the first few days of their lives, the tense, anxious atmosphere of the room, the near lifeless body in the hospital bed. But for Skye and Sayu, it was normal life. Katara and Suki couldn't leave them in the care of palace maids all the time.

Katara held her baby boy in one arm and held Mai's hand in the other, rubbing the back of the girl's hand gently with her thumb. She and Suki bounced their darling children on their knees as they sat at the woman's bedside, still waiting for her to wake up.

"Sayu's favourite colour seems to be green," Suki whispered, watching Mai's face, just in case there was some kind of reaction.

"We're thinking of moving them into their own room soon," Katara said. "You should see it, Mai, it's so beautiful in there. Aang helped us paint and there are the most beautiful paintings of bison and lemur all over the walls. It almost makes me wish that I was a baby about to move in there too."

Katara silenced herself when Suki put a comforting hand on her lap. They waited a moment, as if expecting Mai to wake up and reply. But she did not and both girls sat back in their seats and sighed.

"We wish you were here," Katara murmured. "I owe you for this." She clutched her little boy, Skye, just a little tighter in her arms.

Sokka walked in through the double doors at the end of the room. He smiled at his sister and Suki and at his daughter and nephew. Lips pulled taught in a smile, Suki's shining eyes sparkled at him and he leaned down to plant a kiss on her cheek when he came to stand beside her seat.

"How are we all?" he asked, giving Sayu a little tickle in the belly, which made her squirm. He stepped over to Katara and hugged her too and pinched Skye's chubby little cheeks with a playful smirk on his face.

"We're all good," Suki assured him. "Although, Mai still doesn't seem to have gotten any better. But she's not getting worse either, so I guess it's not too horrible. It could be worse."

Sokka eyed the girl in the bed briefly and then turned away, feeling a little awkward. "That's true – it could be worse. We've got to be glad that it isn't." He quickly added, "But it would be pretty good if she would hurry up and recover. I don't like you girls spending all of your time in here keeping her company. Why do you do it anyway?"

Katara and Suki giggled, "Just so she can tell that we haven't forgotten about her."

"She's unconscious – how would she even know you're there?" The girls rolled their eyes. He quickly put up his hands defensively, "Ya know what, don't worry." He smiled and then gently nudged Suki. "Come on, let's take Sayu for a walk. Katara, do you and Skye want to come with us?"

The waterbender shook her head with a smile, "No thanks, I want to wait around until Zuko is out."

"Out of what and where?"

Both girls sighed and said together, "Another meeting."

"Another one?" Sokka gaped. "How many people need to meet with the guy? He needs a coffee break!"

"Well, he is the Fire Lord – he has to put up with this sort of stuff. It's his duty," Suki shrugged.

"And he does a good job of it," Katara smiled proudly.

"So you won't come?" Sokka checked.

His sister shook her head, "I'll be fine here. Have a nice time."

Sokka nodded and took Sayu from Suki's arms. Holding their daughter in one arm, he helped Suki up with his free hand and they left the room together, fingers interlaced. Katara smile sweetly after them and turned back to Mai when the door swung shut behind them.

"I owe you so much, Mai," she said, holding Skye to her bosom. "I don't think I could have survived in there on my own. We might not have gotten along so well to begin with, but at least we weren't alone the whole time. And we got out together... and..."

A burning sensation ran up the back of her throat, through her nose and behind her eyes, making it a little hard for her to breathe. Skye gurgled uncertainly in her lap and she took a deep breath and looked down at the baby boy.

"And you saved his father – you saved Zuko. The other's told me what they saw happen, Mai. I am so, so grateful that you saved him, even though it made you like this." She looked back down at Mai in her coma state. "I don't know what I would have done if Zuko hadn't have come out of there alive."

Katara lifted Skye up onto the bed and supported him with her arms as he sat up next to Mai. His chubby little hands gently ran themselves across her face and he made adorable baby noises.

"He likes you, Mai. I think he knows what you did for his daddy," Katara giggled. She sighed, "I can't wait for you to wake up. I need to thank you properly. You've done so much for us – more than you could imagine. Or at least that's how it feels... I am so grateful..."

"Katara?" a voice asked from somewhere behind her. The waterbender looked over her shoulder to see Iroh standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Uncle, how are you?" she smiled, lifting Skye back into her lap.

Iroh chuckled at being called Uncle by his niece-in-law. She's started doing it shortly after Skye had been born, but Iroh wasn't about to start complaining – he thought it was great!

"I am well, thank you, my dear. And how are _you?_" he asked in return, walking over and sitting in the chair left vacant by Suki.

Katara shrugged, "Can't complain. I just wish Mai would hurry up and wake up."

"Aah, I see," he said sagely. "Miss Katara, I think you need to relax a little bit more. I think a calming cup of jasmine tea would do the trick perfectly for you, so the next time you have a spare moment, why don't you come by the kitchen and see if I'm in there, because I'd be happy to make you some."

Katara chuckled at the old man, "Thank you, Uncle, I'll keep it in mind."

She turned her eyes back to Mai's face and sighed, holding Skye a little closer up to her chest and resting her head on top of his.

"He is a beautiful boy," Iroh remarked. Katara flashed a smile at him again. "You know, it is not very good for you to lock yourself up in here so much. I know you are eager for Mai to wake up so that you can thank her for what she did to save Zuko, and show her your new little treasure, but..."

"I know, I can't let my whole world revolve around the moment she wakes up and it all happens."

Iroh nodded. Katara sighed and sat back in her chair.

"Zuko's meeting will be over in the next half an hour or so. He's been seeing everyone but you all day, so he'll probably be looking for you in the time between the end of this one and the start of the next one."

Her eyes lit up and she smiled, "I'll go and wait for him so he won't have to look far."

"That is a splendid idea! And in the mean time, I think I will go and make myself some ginseng tea."

Katara laughed out loud as she and Iroh stood up. They parted ways as they passed the kitchen and Katara continued towards the Peace Room, which had been renamed after the end of the war. Originally, it had been known as the War Chamber.

Skye shifted in Katara's arms and she cuddled him gently to her, smiling down at his big blue eyes.

"We're going to see Daddy now," she told him with a smile. He smiled his toothless smile and she ran her fingers through his short, soft, wispy hair. "You're gorgeous."

Outside the Peace Room, Katara sat down with the baby in her lap. For another fifteen minutes, they waited, listening to murmuring voices on the inside of the room – the disembodied voices that made no real words to them, but only sound.

* * *

"I have a favour to ask of you," Shang said with a perfectly straight face.

He had endured months of planning, meditation, revising the words he would use... and finally, there he was, sitting cross-legged in the Spirit World in front of Koh, the Face Stealer.

"Spirits do not do favours for mere mortals. Especially when they do not benefit from it themselves."

Shang had to stop himself from smirking, or breaking his perfectly emotionless façade of a face. "What if the mortal was offering to let you join him in world domination?"

For a moment, both of them stared blankly at each other. Koh showed him a few of the different faces he had stolen as they both thought.

At any moment once the world was theirs, one of them could double cross the other. All Shang had to do was give some sort of facial expression when Koh was around – slipping up for one second could end it all for him. But if Shang was smart enough, there were ways that he could double cross Koh and succeed.

"What is it that you want from me, exactly, mortal?"

He didn't show it on the outside, but inside, he was smirking. Things were about to start going his way again.

* * *

After a while, the doors to the Peace Room opened and men and women of the court, nobles and men of high position in the authorities and defence forces started coming out. There was much chatter amongst them as they found their way towards the palace exits and said their farewells before going their separate ways.

Katara held on to Skye while she waited for Zuko to emerge. He didn't. With a sigh of slight annoyance and a small giggle, she entered the Peace Room and scanned it with her eyes. Sitting at the head seat in the room, pouring over a pile of papers with a frown on his face, was Zuko.

An affectionate smile stretched itself gently over Katara's lips. She walked over to him, baby in arms and sat Skye on the desk beside his arm. She held on to the little boy and made sure he didn't touch anything. Zuko had looked up at the sound of her approaching footsteps and was smiling at her and their child.

"How did that go?" she asked.

Zuko sat back in his chair with a sigh and laced his fingers behind his head, "Boring, annoying, pointless... among many other words I could think of which I'll refrain from mentioning."

Skye leaned forward and reached his chubby little hand out towards his father. Katara scooped him up into her arms again and passed him to Zuko, who took him with a smile and cuddled him closely.

"Hello ya little stinker!" he smirked at their son. He lifted Skye into the air and raspberried his belly. The small boy squirmed and squealed in delight and kicked his little legs playfully.

"He missed you, he's been waiting to see you all day," Katara said.

Zuko passed his lover a look and she couldn't help the blush that tainted her cheeks.

"Come on, it's so stuffy in here and you've been in here all morning," she sighed. "Come for a walk in the gardens with me and Skye." Taking Zuko's hand in her own, she pulled him to his feet and once he was upright, he held Skye in one arm and wrapped the other around Katara's waist.

When they left the Peace Chamber, the hustle and bustle which had exited from the room earlier had died down. The hallways were peaceful and quiet and the excited chatter of many voices was absent. The couple walked hand in hand towards the gardens, Skye bouncing in Zuko's strong arms.

Outside, it was sunny. The air was crisp against their cheeks and spring was reaching its climax. Smells from the exotic flowers and plants that created the garden left their senses intoxicated and calmed them as they breathed the sent in deeply.

"It's a beautiful day," Katara remarked.

Zuko shook his head, "Not as beautiful as you."

Her cheeks flushed red again and the little family came to sit under a tree in front of Azula's burial place and the headstone to mark it, and Ursa's memorial.

Katara took Skye from her husband's arms and held him to her chest again, cradling him gently. She placed one hand on Zuko's back comfortingly. He smiled lovingly at his mother and sister.

"I wish you guys were here to see this," he murmured, letting his eyes wander to his side where Katara stood with Skye. "It's beautiful."

* * *

Azula and Ursa leaned into each other as they watched him.

"We know, my son," his mother whispered.

"We know, my brother," Azula sighed happily.

"We love you."

* * *

He could virtually hear their voices on the breeze that swept over his face. Katara looked beautiful in his eyes with her brown locks frolicking about her sweet face, and Skye's little hands reached up to play with the dancing strands.

Zuko's hand found Katara's and he laced their fingers together. He turned to face her and leaned his face into hers, planting his lips gently over hers. It was only a chaste kiss, but that didn't stop the butterflies from erupting in her stomach.

"I love you, Katara," he whispered to you. "You are my world."

Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. "I love you too, Zuko."

His arms around her waist, he kissed her gently on the forehead and then rested his forehead against hers. They looked at each other, lovingly, and then down at their son.

"M-M-My Lord?" a timid male voice asked.

Zuko and Katara straightened up. A messenger boy stood a few meters away from them with a small scroll in his hand. He quickly got down on his knees and bowed. When he straightened up, he unrolled the scroll and read.

"My Lord, the Sages of the Fire Temple request a meeting with His Grace immediately. They claim that it is an urgent situation."

When the message was read, the young man bowed down again and then sat up on his knees.

"The Fire Sages? What could they want so urgently...? Alright, go ahead and tell them that I'll meet them in the Peace Room. Arrange someone to escort them there," Zuko ordered.

"Yes, My Lord." The messenger boy bowed once more and scurried off.

Zuko turned back to Katara and their child, "I'm sorry, Katara, I –"

Pressing a finger to his lips, she shushed him, "It's ok, I'll see you again later." She pecked him on the cheek. "Go."

He kissed her on the cheek as a farewell and leaned down to kiss Skye too. The little boy blinked as his father retreated back down the garden path. His mother sighed and rocked him in her arms. Snuggling his head against her, the little boy closed his eyes.

"Are you ready for a nap, Skye?" she asked with a smile, looking down at the little bundle of joy in her arms. He continued snuggling into her. She held him a little tighter and started walking back towards the palace.

Inside the palace, she laid him down in a cot and kissed him on the head once he was fast asleep. She left the room, nodding once in thanks to the nursemaid who stayed behind to keep an eye on him. Katara would come back to check up on things in an hour. In the mean time, she'd go for a walk in the garden on her own, enjoying the sun until while it was still out and getting some much needed fresh air.

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**Well, that would be the first chapter of Below the Ice, folks. I thought we'd start off with some cute Zutara fluffiness. I hope you understood what was happening. Ha ha, I am sorry to those of you who read the two stories before this who were anticipating a birth scene, I didn't feel like doing that so I skipped it and went straight to this. **

**:) I hope you liked it and pretty please with sugar on top, leave your dear author a review. I need three (3) ****signed**** reviews, or I'm not gonna be able to update. **

**Lots of love, appa-appa-away. **

**P.S – JOIN TEAM ZUTARA! Go to my profile for more. :D **


	2. The Water Serpent

**My goodness! I looked over last chapter and took note of how many silly little mistakes I'd made. I've fixed them up now and I'll repost a more presentable copy in a moment... I apologize for that and for the long wait since my last update. I had exams and such and I've also been quite lazy lately. I'm going to step it up now, don't worry. So here we go; another chapter! Hope you like it, and please leave a review. Enjoy!**

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**2. The Water Serpent**

Katara took in a deep breath as she stepped back outside into the gardens. For a moment, she stood still, closed her eyes, tilted her head back and let the sun wash over her... Sighing, she made her way forward, deeper into the garden, not really paying much attention to exactly where she was going, just enjoying the scenery and serenity.

Though she couldn't help but notice, as she ventured further and further from the palace, the eerie presence, the tense atmosphere, the stillness of the air and the way it hung with a heavy, unnerving silence.

Her subconscious mind became that little bit more alert, although the rest of her remained oblivious to the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.

* * *

The image of her face appeared above him, the surface of the water the only barrier between them. The image rippled and distorted as the water was disturbed by the wind and the anxious turtle-ducks who could feel his presence and were well on edge.

She sat down on the bank of the pond, folding her legs beneath her and smiling contently as she looked out over the pond, oblivious to how edgy the turtle-ducks were.

Koh smiled to himself, and the turtle-ducks, sensing the danger, paddled quickly to the banks and disappeared into the garden.

* * *

Katara frowned when the small animals suddenly seemed flustered. Her conscious mind became more aware of the foreboding feeling of danger and silently, holding her breath, she began to stand up. She looked around her, and then back over the pond as something on the far side caught her eye. She was sure she'd seen the slightest hint of unnatural movement beneath the surface of the water, as if a giant serpent was quickly pulling his tail into his hiding place before he could be seen.

Katara chuckled nervously to herself and shook her head, a crooked smile scattering across her face. Then she saw it again – the strange movement that simply shouldn't have been there.

It happened quickly after that. I figure sprung from the water, a horrible face thrusting itself right into hers. She had no time to register all of the face's features, only that it most certainly was not human.

As Katara sprung back in terror, the face before her blinked its eyes and it was as if it was forcing her to blink with it. Suddenly, she could not open her eyes again. She could not breathe in or out. She could not hear or speak. All she could do was think and feel. She felt her body make contact with the ground, and she felt herself suffocating. All she could think of as her brain stopped responding was if Skye and Zuko would be okay.

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**Yes, shorter chapters from now on, maybe I'll update a little bit more often and not be so lazy. Remember, I need three (3) reviews or no update. If you read, please just leave a little review, even if it's just a smiley face or an 'I liked it', though something with a bit more meat on it would be nice. Anyway, review, and join Team Zutara!**


	3. Face Me

**3. Face Me**

Toph didn't quite know what made her go out into the garden that day. She wasn't allowed to earthbend without getting into a bit of trouble for ruining the garden and today she simply wasn't in the mood. She hadn't been in the mood to earthbend for a while since the accident. Her bones were still healing from what had happened. As brilliant of a healer as Katara was, her magic wasn't quite good enough to heal the broken bones.

The doctors had told Toph that she was probably going to have problems for a while. Her whole body was quite stiff and her immune system was down while it was trying desperately to finish healing. Because of this, earthbending wasn't such a great idea for her, not to mention her abilities for it had decreased with her injuries.

_I can't believe I'm on my way to fourteen and already I'm telling myself that I'm not as strong as I once was..._

She sighed as she walked through the gardens. For a while, she stood where she was and let her feet look about the scene for her. With the everyday vibrations of the earth, she could almost see what was happening in the ground level of the palace... almost. She could see the ants marching in their never-ending line between their nest and where they found food. She could see all the flowers, though not their colours or patterns, and she could see ever tree, shrub, bush and plant that was rooted into the earth around her. A little further into the garden, towards where Azula and Ursa's memorial place was, she could see turtle-ducks wading timidly in and out of the water. And lying on the bank of the pond, heartbeat slowly fading into nothingness...

Toph did a double take.

"K...Katara?" Half of her wished to rush to her friend's side and to her aid, but another part of her stopped her. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong. She let the first urge get the better of her and she stiffly scurried to where the waterbender lay.

"Katara?" Toph dropped to her knees beside the girl. That's when she realized what was so wrong. "Oh gosh..." She reached her hands out and ran her fingertips over her friend's face... over where her friend's face should have been. For a moment, Toph's heart stopped. Katara's heartbeat was slowing down. Her face was gone – no nose or mouth – she couldn't breathe!

Toph jumped up and tried to drag Katara towards the palace. That plan was abandoned quickly when she realized that she wasn't physically capable on such a thing.

"Aang!" she shouted, moving as quickly as she could back towards the palace. "Aang! Help!"

Just as she re-entered the building, the young monk appeared before her.

"Toph, what's the matter?" he asked in a flurry.

"It's Katara! Something's happened to her! She's out in the garden and she needs help, come _on!_" she screamed in panic, grabbing Aang by the sleeve and dragging him along with her.

At mention of Katara in trouble, Aang sprung into action, "Where? Where is she?" He swapped places with Toph and began to drag her instead.

"Out here, over by the pond."

"Which pond?" Aang looked down several paths that led deeper into the garden, all of which he knew led to a pond somewhere along the way.

"This way!" Toph showed him, pulling him along. A few seconds later, Aang and Toph came out onto the bank of the pond and there in the sand lay a faceless body, dressed in the same attire the Fire Lady had dressed herself in that morning.

Aang stood still for a moment, standing over Katara while Toph knelt down beside her again. He stared dumbly down at where her face should have been, where her beautiful blue eyes and soft, tender lips were missing.

"Oh ..."

"Aang! She can't breathe!" Toph startled him out of his thoughts. "We need to get her to the hospital wing in the palace. Her heartbeats just about gone; she's dying!"

Tears were streaking their way from Toph's misty green eyes and her voice rose up several octaves in her stress. She looked up at the Avatar's face and felt him looking back at her.

Shaking his head, Aang dropped himself into an airbending stance.

"Toph, stand up and get back, I'll get her into the hospital. Run ahead of me and get the doctor's to get ready for her."

Toph nodded and sprung up again, dashing as fast as she could without hurting herself back into the palace to do as her friend had said. Aang looked back down at Katara's body and bent the air currents around her, lifting her into the air. Quickly, he made his way towards the hospital wing behind Toph.

When he walked in, the doctor and a couple of nurses rushed up to him and took Katara from his air currents and laying her down on the bed next to Mai's. Toph was sitting on a bit at the other end of the room and Aang raced over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her to his chest and shushed her quiet sobs. Angry at herself, she bit down hard on her lip and straightened up, refusing to make another peep. The tears rolled down her cheeks silently.

The doctor and his nurses pulled a curtain around Katara's bed. They spoke in hushed voices to one another, discussing what they should do. Aang watched as one of the nurses ducked out from behind the curtain and fetched some tools for the doctor. Behind the curtain, they did what they had to. Aang and Toph waited as patiently as they could, holding their breath. After fifteen minutes, the doctor and nurses stepped out from the curtain. There was a small amount of blood on the gloves on their hands. After removing them, the doctor came up to Aang and Toph with a frown on his face.

"She is stable, for now. But what a peculiar thing... I have never seen a case quite like that. Lady Toph, you said you found her?" Toph nodded. The doctor shook his head and kept frowning. "I just don't understand. Less than an hour ago, she was sitting in here next to Lady Mai's bed with Prince Skye and Miss Suki and little Sayu. Her brother and General Iroh came in and they all saw her, face intact! Do you have any idea what has happened?"

Toph shook her head, "I just walked out there and saw her lying there... and her face was _gone._"

"Yes, I can see that..." The doctor cast a wary look over his shoulder. The curtains remained drawn around the Fire Lady's bed and the nurses stood in a huddle in the far corner of the room, casting unnerved looks towards it and speaking to each other in hushed voices.

"How could this have just happened...?" Toph asked.

Aang stiffened beside her and she straightened up and turned her head towards him, noticing his skipping heartbeat.

"Twinkletoes... what's going through your head? You don't know anything about this, do you?"

"Well, I..."

"Aang?" Toph grabbed the front of his shirt and shook him. "What's going on?"

His eyes went wide in fright as she shook him, and he grabbed her wrists and pried her off of him.

"Calm down! Actually, maybe not, but still!"

"Aang!"

"Ok, ok! Look... a couple of years ago when me, Sokka and Katara were up at the North Pole for the first time, the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe showed me a little garden with an oasis. It was a place to be closer to the spirits. I was trying to get in touch with them and learn how to help protect the Tribe from a siege from the Fire Nation."

"How does that have anything to do with –!"

"Just let me finish! Ok, so I went into the Spirit World and... well, I met a spirit who... who..." Aang gulped as he looked back over to where Katara's bed was obscured behind the curtain.

"Aang?" she asked gently, putting a hand on his forearm.

He turned his head back to her and looked her in the eyes. "His name was Koh... Koh... the Face Stealer."

* * *

"What do you mean strange activity in the Spirit World?" Zuko demanded of the Fire Sages that were standing around the table with him.

"My Lord, it is unclear to us what is going on exactly. All we know is one of the Spirits came into the mortal world without warning, and as far as we're aware, this Spirit could cause some trouble if he isn't sent back soon," the superior Sage explained.

"Who is this Spirit and what does it do?" the Fire Lord asked in a low voice, keeping his eyes locked with the superior Sage's.

"He is dangerous and potentially... deadly, My Lord."

"Who is he? What makes him so threatening?"

Keeping a neutral face, his hands folded in his sleeves, the Sage continued, "He is known to us as Koh the Face Stealer. The name is self-explanatory, My Lord."

A puzzled expression washed over Zuko's face. "A... face stealer? Are you honestly telling me this guy goes around and _steals_ people's _faces_?"

"Not just people; he can steal animal faces too. But that's not the point. The point is that he passed into the realm of mortals; that's here amongst people. And if he sees anyone's face and they show some sort of expression on their face... well, the result will not be good."

"My Lord," a messenger walked in and bowed. "Please, forgive the interruption. The doctor and the Avatar sent me; they said it was an urgent matter."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait until this meeting is over," Zuko said, sounding irritated.

"My Lord, I think perhaps you should learn whatever it is your messenger has been asked to deliver to you. If the doctor and the Avatar himself have marked it as urgent..." The superior Fire Sage trailed off. His strange wisdom much reminded Zuko of his Uncle, though he seemed a lot more serious and a lot less boisterous than the old tea-lover.

"Very well... what is it?"

"It's... well, Sir, it's Lady Katara."

For a moment, his heart froze, along with his blood and his brain. When his body kicked back into action a split second later, he found himself holding the messenger by the collar of his shirt.

"What is wrong with my wife?"

"She... she..." The man stuttered as Zuko shook him. "Avatar... hospital wing... urgent..."

That was all Zuko needed to hear from the fearful man. Heart pounding, the young Fire Lord raced from the Peace Room and headed straight for the hospital wing.

The Fire Sages walked solemnly behind him in a straight line, their heads bowed and their hands folded into their sleeves.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Toph said. "Koh is a spirit who steals people's faces."

"But only if they show expression to him," Aang explained. "If they keep their face neutral, then they have nothing to worry about. But the moment they slip up... he has their face."

"And if he takes their face, it means they die, right? Because without a nose or mouth they can't breathe, right? Right!"

"I don't know!"

"Aang! How can you not know? You _saw_ Katara!"

"I know, I know, but... Toph, listen, when I was in the Spirit World and _I_ saw him, I also saw what was left of some of his victims. There was this monkey, and I came up behind it and it turned around and had no face... but it wasn't dead. It probably would have died of starvation eventually, but somehow it was still there!"

"Ok, ok, let's think logically..." Toph decided. "You were in the Spirit World, yes? DEAD THINGS GO TO THE SPIRIT WORLD, AANG!"

The monk hunched his shoulders and nodded, "Ok, I get it, I know, I understand."

"Good..."

Aang sat down and rubbed his hands over his bald head, "Oh jeez..."

Suddenly, the door to the hospital burst open and Zuko virtually ran inside.

"Aang!"

The boy sighed, "Why is everyone yelling at me today...?" he mumbled.

"Aang, what's going on?" Zuko demanded. "Where's Katara?"

Sucking in a deep breath, the boy stood up and met the Fire Lord half way across the room.

"It's... kinda hard to explain..." the young Avatar started, trailing off and fiddling with his fingers nervously. "But it's really not that bad, I'm sure there's a way to fix it, and the doctor said she'd be –"

"Aang! Where's my wife?"

"Behind the curtain, Firefly," Toph interjected, nodding her head towards Katara's bed.

Zuko stood before the curtains within a few long strides and he gripped the material, taking in a deep breath.

Aang stepped forward and put his arm on Zuko's shoulder, "Zuko, I'm not so sure you should –"

But before he could finish what he was saying, Zuko pulled back the curtain to look at his beloved. Katara lay on the bed, her chocolate locks flowing about her head in beautiful ripples. But her skin was pale, as if from shock or blood-loss. Zuko's heart plummeted to his stomach as he registered the absence of her face – no more eyes, nose or mouth. And his stomach twisted itself into knots at the sight of the tube that was sticking out of her neck, allowing her to breathe.

Aang shrank back at the sight too and Toph stood up from where she had been sitting the whole time and approached them, already having known what the doctor's had done to save Katara. She looped her arm around Aang's and put her head on his shoulder, staring blindly at the waterbender.

"Good Agni..." Zuko murmured, stepping back and putting a hand over his mouth. He had to bite down hard on his lip to prevent himself from having some sort of outburst. Fists clenched around the curtains, a ribbon of smoke began to issue into the air.

Toph grabbed the Fire Lord's forearm and pulled him back. Reluctantly, Zuko released the curtain and turned away from the heartbreaking sight before him, burying his face in his hands and shaking his head.

"Good Agni..." he repeated.

Toph rubbed his back soothingly and they listened as the superior Fire Sage walked in behind Zuko, ordering the other Sages to remain outside the hospital.

"My Lord," he bowed. "I am ever so sorry for your loss."

"My wife..." Zuko hissed through clenched teeth. "How can we fix this?"

Taken aback, the Sage stuttered, "M-My Lord?"

"HOW DO I FIX THIS?" he demanded, rounding on the elderly man angrily.

For a few minutes, they stared across the room at each other. The Sage's face remained vacant; totally blank. Zuko was seething where he stood, taking in huge gulps of hair to keep himself from lashing out. His eyes were glistening with tears and they travelled slowly down his unscarred cheek. Fists clenched at his side, Toph kept a firm grip on his arm, just to make sure he wasn't about to attack somebody.

"Zuko," she said his name softly. "Calm down. She's alive. We _will_ figure this out," she assured him.

A few moments later, Zuko was holding his breath. Soon enough, he had regained proper control of himself and straightened up. He struggled but succeeded in keeping a straight face and looking the superior Fire Sage in the eye.

"How do I fix this?" he enquired once more.

The Fire Sage shook his head, "As far as the Sages are aware, there is no known way to retrieve a face stolen by Koh. I cannot help you," he spoke gravely. "I just hope that we can ensure the safety of everyone else – make a public notice and be sure that everyone is alerted of the threat underway here. Inform the people of any and all precautions they can take and tell them to report any strange activity immediately and stay on their guard. I will write you out a list of things to ensure every individual's safety."

With that, the superior Fire Sage exited the room. He and his brothers retreated from the palace.

Zuko stood, fists still clenched at his side and his hair falling gently over his eyes, hiding them, but not the tears that streaked down from them or his trembling lips, desperately trying to contain any sound or word that would further betray his despair.

The Fire Lord raised his head and walked to Katara's bedside, where he knelt, head resting on her chest so that he could feel the rise and fall of her breathing, and hear the beating of her heart, just to assure him she was still with him. Then, he raised his head once more and kissed her gently where her lips would have been.

* * *

**Dun dun dun! What will happen next? I'll leave that for you to guess. Until then, I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to leave a review, remember, I need at least three (3) or I cannot update. Once I get my three, I'll update ASAP. :) **

**Give me your thoughts and feedback and hope to hear from you soon! **

**JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	4. Infiltration

**4. Infiltration **

They entered the city dressed as commoners. They walked slowly, hunched over in order to keep their faces hidden beneath hoods, and they stuck to back roads and alleyways as they made their way towards the heart of Imperial City. Peeking up ahead, they could see the palace looming closer and closer with every step they took.

Shang put out an arm and stopped Hama where she was.

"Wait here for my signal," he ordered.

The old waterbender was not a fan of taking orders, but there was something in the Admiral that demanded authority, and somehow, she feared it. She gave him a curt nod and Admiral Shang stepped out from behind the brick wall and walked slowly and deceivingly towards the palace gates.

The two guards situated on either side of the gates raised their eyebrows at him and watched him, thinking him some old peasant man fooling around in his old age – exactly what Shang wanted them to think.

As he approached, one of them stepped forward and put out a hand.

"Hold it right there old timer, what's your name? We'll need you to state your business here before we allow you to come any further."

Admiral Shang stood still for a moment, building up tension as his mind raced to find a way to indicate to Hama that _now_ was when he needed her help.

"Just... making a visit to an old friend of mine. A spot of tea would be nice," Shang replied in a hoarse voice, aimed deliberately at the guard's feet.

"I'm sorry? I still need your name, sir," the guard insisted.

"I'm sorry, that won't be necessary," Shang informed him, standing up to his full height, allowing his hood to slip back from his head to reveal his face and hoping that Hama would understand what she needed to do.

Both guards stood for a moment, eyes bugging out of their head in shock after having been so well deceived. Before they could react any further, Shang turned his head to look towards where he'd left the blood bender.

The elderly woman stepped forward and held her hands before her, controlling one of the guards with each. Like puppets on strings, she used them, ensuring they could not open their mouths to speak or move to attack. Then, with a swift movement, she threw them at each other, knocking their heads together and rendering them unconscious. And before anyone could notice the strange goings-on outside the palace gates, she set them to lean against the wall on either side, sliding the front of their helmets down over their eyes so that passers-by would not know the difference between them being conscious or unconscious.

"Well, that was only a _little_ risky!" she hissed at the admiral.

"Don't you dare challenge me, old hag," Shang spat. "I know what I'm doing. You follow _me_ and do not question me, ever. Are we clear?" He looked her directly in the eye. "Or would you like to go back to prison?"

She had to resist the urge to gape at this despicable suggestion. Setting her face in a scowl, Hama answered, "I will _never_ go back in there. I would rather _die_."

Shang lifted his head and tilted it back gently, smirking, "That's what I like to hear. Come along." He turned and gave himself and the waterbender admittance to the palace grounds. She followed him in through the gates silently and they both continued with their heads down.

* * *

As soon as Aang had come and found them, Sokka knew that something was up, and whatever it was, it wasn't good. The Avatar walked rigidly and solemnly and spoke sombrely.

"Guys," he addressed Sokka, Suki and little Sayu in her arms. "I think you should come see this. Come down to the hospital with me. We're having a big meeting there."

He turned and started walking back the way he had come.

"This doesn't sound good," Sokka said, looking from Suki down to their daughter.

"Come on then..." Suki took his arm and they walked on after Aang.

They entered the hospital wing and were greeted with a tense atmosphere. It was uncomfortable and Sokka felt his palms starting to sweat immediately. There was Mai, lying motionless on her bed as always. And on the bed next to her, curtains draw, was another occupied bed, which hadn't been occupied earlier. Scanning the room, he saw Aang, Zuko, Toph, Ty Lee, Windu, Gran-Gran and Iroh. But there was one vital person missing from the scene.

"Um... where's my sister?" Sokka asked the room.

Four of the seven who had already been in the room (and conscious) looked about.

"Hey yea, where is Katara?" Ty Lee chirruped.

Aang, Zuko and Toph came to stand in front of the newly occupied bed with the curtain drawn around it.

"Alright guys," Aang spoke on behalf of them all. "This may come as a bit of a shock to you, but... please, don't freak out too much."

Sokka, Suki, Ty Lee, Windu, Gran-Gran and Iroh all gathered around where the trio stood. Aang reached behind him and pulled the curtain away from the bed, revealing its occupant. A series of gasps rented the air at the sight.

"Oh. My. Gosh."

"Whoa... um..."

"What the –?"

"Katara!" Sokka lunged towards her bedside and took her hand up in his own. "Katara?" he rounded on Zuko, the closest of the three who seemed to already know what was going on. "What happened to my sister?" he demanded angrily. Zuko looked at him, a little taken aback and flustered and struggling all the while for words. Sokka grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shook him. "Zuko, what happened to my sister?"

"Sokka!" Aang yelled out, grabbing the man by his ponytail and yanking him backwards, off the Fire Lord.

Sayu's cries rented the air and Suki tried to shush the little treasure tenderly, letting the little girl suckle on one of her slender fingers.

"Aang, what is going on?"

"Ok, so here's what happened..."

After explaining the current situation and answering all the flustered and confused questions, Aang silenced his friends.

"Guys, look, the main thing is not to panic. We've been in sticky and seemingly impossible situations before and in case you haven't all noticed, no matter how bad things seem to get, there is always a resolve to the problem at the end of it all. We just need to work together and not give up."

"Aang, her _face_ is _gone!_"

"And we will get it back!" he announced.

The others all frowned and looked at him.

Windu cleared his throat and spoke up sceptically, aiding Sokka who was lost for words. "How _exactly_ do you expect to get Katara's face back from some crazy evil spirit monster whose current whereabouts are unknown and who could just as easily take yours if he finds you first and surprises you to the point of showing facial expression, which, when you think about it, doesn't take much?"

The young airbender took in a deep breath and slowly let it out again. He was now fourteen years old, physically. Technically, he was a _hundred_ and fourteen, but the hundred part having been spent in suspended animation within a block of ice hardly counted for anything. He had not learned anything (other than running away from home and freezing yourself in an iceberg when caught in a storm was the stupidest idea ever) or grown any wiser or stronger from having lived through it. However, the two years that had immediately followed the freedom from the iceberg – the past two years of his life – had taught him much. He had been through much and survived, fought and grown much physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. His understanding of the world around him had increased and he'd taken on responsibilities that most twelve to fourteen year olds wouldn't have dreamed of. He'd ended a war, taken lives, and mastered the four elements that existed in the world around him. And all the while, he'd learned about the importance of friendship, family, trust and love. And for the past two years, his life had virtually revolved around Katara.

"I don't know just yet," Aang said slowly. "But I have an idea of who might."

A mischievous smile lit up the young boy's face and he looked to Zuko.

"I need to be alone for a little while. I'm going to meditate and get in touch with Avatar Roku. I think he might be able to help me."

Zuko nodded his approval and the Avatar exited the room swiftly to find a peaceful place.

_He's grown up so much_, Zuko thought to himself. _He's changed. He's not the same little boy I started off chasing when I first met him – he's so much stronger now. And he means so much more to this world – to me. _

"I have faith in you," he murmured after his friend.

"I hope your faith proves right," Sokka muttered, having just caught Zuko's words.

Ty Lee stepped forward, "Aang's right though, Sokka. Every time we've come to a bad situation, we've always managed to fix it, no matter how hard it's been. And how many lives from our side have been lost? None!"

"Actually, there _was_ my sister when we defeated Ozai and ended the war," Zuko reminded her indignantly.

Sokka sighed and shook his head in despair and Ty Lee glared daggers at Zuko as hard as she could. He put up his hands defensively and she just rolled her eyes. Windu put a hand on her shoulder and she smiled and turned to face him instead, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Suki put a hand on Sokka's shoulder and he leaned into her.

"Everything will be alright."

**

* * *

**

**I didn't want to end it there, but I thought I'd better give you guys SOMETHING. So there it was, and I'll get cracking on the next chapter ASAP. So leave me a review and remember that I need three (3) before I can update. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing btw, 3 chapters and 13 reviews already, that's pretty good :) **


	5. Not What it Seems

**5. Not What it Seems**

"Roku? Avatar Roku, are you here?" Aang asked as he opened his eyes. It had been away since the last time he had crossed the bridge into the Spirit Realm.

"Aang..." the man's voice came from behind him.

The young airbender turned to smile up at his past self. Roku stood tall, as always, chest out and head held high; a man proud to have once held the title of Avatar.

"Roku, I need your help," he said, getting straight to the point. "Katara lost her face to Koh, the Face Stealer. We want to get her face back. Is it possible?"

Roku watched the young man in front of him with hard eyes. After a while, they softened and Roku sighed. "Aang, there is a way to retrieve Katara's face. But it isn't that simple..."

"Roku, _please!_" he urged. "I know I will never be with her, but I love her, and I will do _anything_ for her. Please, just tell me what to do!"

For a moment, the past Avatar watched Aang silently, his face completely expressionless.

"Alright, I will tell you what you must do. But it is not going to be easy, and it definitely is not safe."

"That's fine by me," Aang vowed.

"Very well." After a moment of pondering, Roku continued. "Koh has not returned to the Spirit Realm since his attack. I cannot help you locate him and I do not think the Gods would allow anyone who could to help you. The job of the Spirits is to watch over, but there are only a few places we may actually interfere, otherwise we would be unravelling Destiny's strings."

"How can I find him?"

Roku shook his head, "The only thing I can tell you is that you will have to return to the place you first found him. I will talk to the Gods and request that you be given some sort of assistance. I do not yet know how you would be able to retrieve Katara's face, even once you have found him."

"Wait, I don't understand! Last time I found him, I was in the Spirit Realm!" Aang called out as Roku began to disappear before him.

The past Avatar shook his head, "You must think outside the box, Aang. This is not what it seems."

With that, Roku disappeared into thin air.

"Wait!" Aang cried out. But it was too late. He blinked once and opened his eyes again to find himself sitting on the end of his bed at the palace in Imperial City. His hand was reaching out in front of him, as if Roku had been in the room, and not the Spirit Realm. "I'm lost..." Aang thought out loud. "I'm lost..."

* * *

Sayu squired in Suki's arms and faintly started to whine.

"Aw, sh, sh, sh, it's okay... Is little Sayu ready for sleepy-time?" the mother said gently, bouncing the little girl gently on her hip. "Yes? Okay, let's go sleepy-time then."

She kissed Sokka on the cheek on the way out and he held her around the waist for a moment – perhaps a moment longer than necessary. But perhaps, in the back of his mind, he knew...

Sokka shook off the foreboding feeling as his wife left the room and he turned back to the bed where Katara lay. The nurses brought a drip over and gently stuck the needle into her arm, taping it down.

Suki made her way up to hers and Sokka's bedroom as Sayu began to cry louder. She shushed the little girl and sang her a sweet lullaby, rocking her in her arms after wrapping the blanket around her little body. A few minutes later, the lullaby was finished and Sayu was fast asleep.

The Kyoshi Warrior smiled down at the little angel's face and kissed her on top of her sweet little head. She smiled up at the maid who stood at the ready to watch over the child while Suki returned to her friends down in the hospital. She left the room and shut the door quietly behind her.

Outside, it was beginning to get darker. The corridors were cold and her footsteps echoed off the floor and walls. The windows vibrated as a light breeze knocked against them, rattling the glass panes in their frames. Frozen fingers of a draft wrapped around her ankles as she walked, shilling her from head to toe. She hummed quietly to herself to frighten off the eerie feeling; the feeling that somebody was watching her.

But as she reached the bottom of some stairs and stepped on to the ground level of the palace, a whoosh of movement and a sharp pain in the back of the head sent her into darkness with nothing more than a faint "_Oh!_" passing through her lips.

* * *

_Not what it seems... _ Aang repeated to himself in his head as he walked back down to the hospital. _What did Roku mean?_

He walked into the room and looked about. A drip had been fixed into Katara's arm so that she could be able to have some form of nutrition. Her skin didn't seem quite so pale and a small smile of relief flashed across his face for a moment. But as quickly as it came, it was gone.

"Aang, what did you find out?" Sokka asked immediately, walking straight up to the boy.

The Avatar sighed, "Not much. Not much at all."

Sokka growled in frustration, "This is hopeless!"

Zuko nudged him, "Quit being negative, it's my job damn it!"

"He didn't go back to the Spirit Realm," Aang said. "So that means that he's still here in our world."

"But where? Did Roku tell you?" Sokka urged.

Aang shook his head, "He said I had to find out for myself. But... he also said that it was the same place I found him last time. But it makes no sense. When I found Koh, he was in the Spirit Realm."

"But Roku said he _wasn't_ in the Spirit Realm!" Sokka yelled in exasperation.

Zuko stepped forward, "Did he say anything else?"

"No," Aang shook his head. "Just... to think outside the box and that it's not what it seems. Or something like that. I dunno..."

"Sounds like Bumi..." Sokka remarked bitterly. "Oh, this is so hopeless!"

Zuko hit him over the head. Hard. "Okay seriously, not even _I_ am that negative. Cut it out!"

"Jeez, sorry!" he cried, rubbing the back of head his. "Ow..."

"Maybe you should try and think along those lines, Aang," Iroh suggested. "Perhaps you will find the answers you are looking for."

There was silence in the room as they all pondered this. There was nothing more frustrating than not being able to figure out a riddle containing the needed solution, especially when it was a serious situation.

Then Toph stood up and stepped forward, "Aang, weren't you saying that you were at the North Pole when you went into the Spirit Realm and met Koh?"

Everyone looked at Toph for a moment. Aang slowly spoke up, "Yes. But... Toph, that actually might be a good place to start."

She smiled in satisfaction and crossed her arms over her chest.

* * *

**Well that's the end of that chapter. Now to find out what shall happen next! You'll have to wait until I update :) Sorry guys! Please drop in a review. I'm boosting the limit up to four (4) minimum. So far it's averaged out to 5 a chapter, so don't let me down guys! Review! Hope you all liked it!**


	6. I Remember You

**Ah, random writer's block! That's sad; I was on holidays and everything... dang! But here's what I finally managed to crank out! :D Hope youse all like it. R&R. Enjoy!**

* * *

**6. I Remember You...**

"So, you think we should start at the North Pole?" Zuko pushed on.

Aang nodded and Sokka shouted out his agreement. "It's the only lead we really have right now. We need to take it!"

"Sokka's right," the monk nodded. "And it's definitely better than nothing."

Aang looked over at Toph and they smiled at each other, nodding.

"And even if this Koh guy isn't there, at least it's a good place to _start_ looking, and no one will be able to say we just stood here and did nothing until something else came along," Toph shrugged.

"That's so true," Ty Lee agreed, smiling in admiration.

"Right," Sokka started, a hard smile of determination on his face. "When do we head off?"

"We need to do this as soon as we can!" Zuko butt in. "We can't wait around... we shouldn't even wait until morning. We'll get our stuff together now and head off straight away, we can sleep on Appa on the way. It'll take us a few days anyway."

Aang shook his head, "More like a week or so. Appa can't fly that far that fast, especially not with all of us on his back."

"Wait, wait," Toph spoke up. "Are we actually all going to go? I mean... not to be a killjoy or anything, and I'm not saying that I don't _want_ to go, but... I'm not exactly in top condition to be doing much at all. On top of that, I'd be pretty useless – there's no earth up there. And we can't bring the babies, and Suki should stay too. I mean, she's a brilliant fighter and all, but it's bad enough that one of the kids isn't going to have a mother for awhile." She indicated to where Katara's bed was. "Suki could take care of them both."

"Toph's right, guys," Windu said. "There are still plenty of us anyway."

"Not me though," Kana said, shaking her head sadly. "I am much too old for this..."

"Would you come with us, Uncle?" Zuko asked. Part of him hoped the man would say yes, but deep down, he wanted him to stay at the palace where he'd be safe.

Iroh seemed to notice this conflict in his nephew's eyes and a frown of thought creased his brow for a few moments.

"Would you like me to come more than you'd like me to stay, or would you like me to stay more than you'd like me to come?" he asked.

Zuko bit his lip. He didn't want to shrug because it would make it seem as if the decision was unimportant to him, when in all reality it was extremely important. He frowned and looked at his feet while he tried to think of an answer that he'd like to give.

"I'll stay," Iroh murmured.

Zuko's head shot up and he opened his mouth to object immediately, but his uncle held up a hand and shushed him. "I am getting on in my years too." He looked sidelong as Kana and then returned to his gaze to his nephew. "You managed fine without me last time, Nephew. And you made me proud."

A small crooked smile caressed the Fire Lord's lips and his eyes softened for his uncle.

"Besides," Iroh chuckled. "Who'd run this place while you are gone? Who'd do it better for you than me?" He nudged the young man playfully in the ribs and winked.

Zuko's smile widened and he nodded, his face becoming more serious again afterwards.

"It's settled then. Aang, Sokka, Ty Lee, Windu and I will go to the North Pole and rescue Katara's face. That's five of us. I'd say that's a good number; not too few but not too many either, and not too many for Appa to carry."

"Let's get packing then," Windu said, taking Ty Lee by the hand and leading her towards the door.

Sokka started heading out as well, and shouted so that everyone could hear him, "Take only what you'll need – lots of warm clothes. Aang, get Appa ready as soon as you're done. I'll deal with the food."

"Meet back here as soon as you're done guys!" Aang called out.

Within an hour, the five who'd start their flight north that night were back in the hospital with their bags at the ready. Iroh, Kana and Toph stood with them and Mai and Katara remained in the beds.

Sokka was the last one to arrive, a concerned look on his face. He looked flustered and his worry was showing in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Aang asked.

"Yea... um..."

"Snoozle, what's the matter?" Toph arched up.

"It's probably nothing, I'm probably overreacting, it's..." He spoke quickly; too quickly. He was panicking. His eyes darted around the room as if he was looking desperately for something.

"Sokka?" Zuko pulled him from his thoughts and back down to earth with his firm voice. "What's wrong?"

"I can't find Suki."

* * *

Suki opened her eyes, but saw nothing. She could feel the tight cloth around her head, covering her eyes, and another piece that was gagging her. Pins and needles prickled her fingers and toes, and she realized why when she figured out someone had tied her up, much too tightly.

A bead of panic swelled up in the pit of her stomach and threatened to burst forth. Her breathing became heavier and she began to struggle, tugging at her restraints, a little more frantic each attempt.

Then there was that harsh smack over the head, and a toxic voice in her ear.

"Hold still you stupid girl. You're not going anywhere."

It was a woman's voice. Old; aged and weary. Cautious, but calm, but firm.

"What's going on?" a man's voice intervened. The hairs on the back of Suki's head stood on ends and she didn't know why. There was simply a feeling of foreboding; that feeling that as afraid as she should be of the woman, the man was even more frightful.

"Our little friend is awake," the old woman said with a smirk in her voice. Suki guessed the man was smirking too.

"Ah, well now!" Fingers danced around her head for a moment, and the next thing she knew, the cloth covering her eyes was gone and she was blinking to make her eyes adjust to the new light.

There was not a lot of light, but it had been pitch black behind the cloth. Looking around, she found herself in a little campsite, a little fire burning and a sleeping mat rolled out to once side of her upon which the old woman was perched, and to the other side was a tent. The man was standing over her, towering above her, the piece of cloth that had covered her eyes in his right hand.

"Welcome, Suki."

She blinked in shock a couple of times as her brain shuffled over the things it knew in order to identify him. He was a familiar face, and his face sent chills down her spine. And then, it clicked as she recognized him for who he was.

"You..."

Admiral Shang smirked and gave a chuckle, "Yes, me."

And with the darkest look over her face and all the venom she could muster in her voice, she spoke, "I remember you..."

* * *

**Ta-da! Woo! So I actually ended up writing it all in less than an hour because I overcame the block for long enough to get just the first line down, and then I was stuck into it :) Go me. Anyways, what did you all think of that? Hm, I'm considering doing a few flashbacks in the next few chapters involving Suki and Sokka, and conversations they've had. But I could get away with not doing that. But I want your opinion – should I, or shouldn't I? **

**Please leave a review! I need four (4) before I can update again. Thanks for those who reviewed last chapter, you're awesome. :)**

**JOIN TEAM ZUTARA!**


	7. Feel

**Hey guys, sorry for how long it's taking me to update. Back at school now, and I really would like to pass ALL of my subjects this semester... so just bear with me. It would have been up a week ago if it weren't for the fact that my internet like completely and totally died... remind me to kill my sister for downloading heaps of shit. Well, here's the next chapter, hope you like it. Please leave a review. :) Enjoy!**

**

* * *

7. Feel**

This was the same man who was responsible for kidnapping Katara and Mai a year earlier. Suki had no idea who the old woman was though...

She'd never really cared much for who Admiral Shang was. At least, not until the way she'd noticed Sokka begin to act when he found out he'd kidnapped his sister. It was more than the normal reaction to someone kidnapping her, and it was quite clear to Suki that there was more than that behind the situation. Something _much_ more.

* * *

"_Sokka?" she whispered to him as they sat alone in their room, awaiting the next morning and the meeting with the others that would determine the plan of action. "Are you okay?" _

_She placed her hand over his and felt every muscle in his body tense. He didn't relax. He fumbled with his hands until he was holding hers and he rubbed little circles on the back of them with his thumbs._

"_He has my sister." He, of course, referring to Admiral Shang, the person who'd signed the notes about the kidnappings. _

"_We'll get her back, Sokka. We'll get all of them back. I promise," she cooed gently into his ear, brushing her lips along his jaw-line. _

_She felt him tense some more. _

"_Who is he?" she asked as he set his gaze out the window, into the dark skies. _

_Biting his lip, he explained, "It's just like Zuko said. He was working close to Ozai during the war. He's a bad man." _

_Suki took his head in her hands and turned him to face her again. She looked into his eyes, searching for something; something that would tell her what he wouldn't. _

"_There's more. I can tell there's more," she whispered gently. _

_Sokka blinked and looked away, pulling away from her touch. But Kyoshi Warriors are not the type to admit defeat without putting up a fight. _

"_Sokka," she started sternly. He looked back at her, biting his lip. Her face softened for him, "Tell me what else there is." _

_Sokka shook his head, "Suki... I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about this."_

_He looked away._

* * *

They searched the whole palace. They checked every room, asked every guard, servant and gargoyle, double checked every nook and cranny. They shouted her name, and got everyone else looking too, but as hard as they tried, they could not find Suki.

Sayu had woken up in the midst of it all, and it was the most Sokka could do to keep his cool and carry her in his arms, so that the little girl at least had _one_ of her parents to comfort her.

"We'll fine mummy soon, don't worry sweetie..." he cooed to her, bouncing her on his hip. But the words sounded forced, even to him.

After a few hours, Sokka handed her off to a maid again, and she was taken to bed again. Meanwhile, Sokka went back to the hospital, which had become a central meeting place for everyone. The others were all standing around waiting for him, looking worse for wear.

Toph stood up and walked over to him.

"We'll find her, Sokka. And we'll get Katara's face back too."

He stared at her blankly and stayed silent. Then, he walked over to Katara's bedside and sat down next to her, taking her hands in his. Her fingers clung to his as if, even without seeing him, she could tell it was her brother. She turned her head a little towards him, as if she meant to look at him. He leaned forward to kiss the top of her head, and she let herself sink back into her pillow, relaxing.

Sokka's lip quivered and he put his head down on the pillow next to hers. Several pairs of hands could be felt patting or rubbing his back as he let himself fall apart.

X

_He knew Suki wouldn't give up that easily. He could feel her eyes on the back of his head, and he knew she wasn't going to look away. Sokka chewed on his bottom lip as the seconds ticked by as they sat on the bed, side by side. _

"_Do you remember the day of the final battle against Ozai?" he asked quietly. "When we were all reunited afterwards?" _

_He didn't look at her, so Suki knew that nodding would be useless. "Yes. I remember," she said._

_Sokka sucked in a deep breath as he continued. "Do... okay, tell me what happened there." _

"_A group of us walked into the room where you and the others already were and... we all just got reunited?" _

_Sokka shook his head, "Do you remember the three spirit women? Particularly the two who... um..." _

"_Oh, those two! Yea, that Northern Water Tribe Princess chick and Zuko's sister, right?" she checked, recalling their faces._

_Sokka nodded. "Yea, them. Well..." _

_Suki's face changed as a new expression overcame her. Her eyes went a little wider and she became more curious than demanding. "You were with them both once, weren't you? As in, romantically." _

"_Do you remember that time we were going through the Serpent's Pass, and I told you that I hadn't been able to protect someone?" _

_She nodded._

"_That was Yue, the Water Tribe Princess," he explained. "After realizing that it was Azula, Mai and Ty Lee who had come into Ba Sing Se, disguised as Kyoshi Warriors, I was worried sick about you. I had no idea where you were, or if you were even alive or not. I didn't know if you were safe... and for a little while, I thought I had failed to protect yet another person who had meant everything to me." _

"_You had no idea that I was only a prisoner, but that I was perfectly safe," she stated. _

"_Exactly. Then... after the failed attempt to overthrow Fire Lord Ozai during the Day of Black Sun, we kept moving and trying to plan our next attack. At one point, we ended up having Azula as our prisoner. While she was with us, she sort of... changed. And as she changed, we started trusting her and even __**liking**__ her."_

"_And you fell in love with her," Suki finished for him._

_Hesitating, Sokka shook his head, "It wasn't that simple." _

* * *

"What now?" Windu asked the room after Sokka had calmed down. "We have two girls missing, with hardly any lead on one of them, and no lead whatsoever on the other. Do we just play along with this wild hog-monkey chase? What if that's exactly what _they_ want us to do, and it's really just a big trap to get us all panicked and confused and walk right into their clutches? Then what?"

"Calm down!" Ty Lee cried out, putting her hands on either side of his face. "You're thinking too negative, I'm not going to be able to take it much longer!"

"But he's right, Ty Lee. What if this _is_ exactly what they want?" Aang asked.

"Who in the hell is _they?_" Toph demanded.

"Whoever took Suki," Iroh shrugged.

"And Katara's face," Zuko added.

Iroh shook his head, "Nephew, we already know that Koh took her face."

"But just think for a minute, Uncle. In fact, _everyone_ just think for a minute!" Zuko ordered, drawing all attention back to him. "Why would Koh have come into the human world just like that? I doubt it's a coincidence that he took Katara's face. I smell a dead rat. This was planned. _All_ of this was planned. Whoever got Koh to do this is also behind Suki's disappearance," he announced. "Unless someone else can come up with a logical explanation for all of this."

Everybody looked to their neighbour, but sure enough, no one had anything different to what Zuko had just proclaimed.

"Do you think Koh has Suki's face too?" Sokka asked in a meek little whisper.

Zuko shook his head, "No, they would have left her body somewhere for us to find it like they did with Katara's. Either that or they would have taken Katara's when they had to chance as well."

Aang nodded, "I agree with Zuko. It makes sense. The questions remaining are, what was the motive behind the action, and how do we undo it?"

"I've alerted all guards about what's happened and to be on the lookout and to stay cautious. Warning posters are going up and flyers to encourage people who might know anything that could help us to speak up are being given out. It's really all we can do for now," Zuko sighed.

"Yes we can. We can go to the North Pole and get my sister's face back. We can go after whoever took Suki. We can –"

"Sokka, we need to rethink things now that there are two things that need doing. Yes, we'll go to the North Pole to see if we can save Katara's face, but we don't have _anything_ that could help us find Suki!"

"We have to find her!" Sokka shouted, standing up abruptly.

Katara's body flinched as she felt her brother stand up so quickly. She could virtually feel the tension in the air. Feeling herself panic, she searched about for Sokka's hand with her own, almost managing to sit herself up before she felt Sokka and Zuko come either side of her and press her back down to the bed. Zuko kissed her head, where her face should have been. He kissed where her lips once where. He ran his fingers through her hair and held her hand while Sokka held the other one.

"Okay, I think we need to figure this out now. I have an idea. The group that was supposed to go up to the North Pole? Forget that for now. We'll sort out groups in a minute. I think that we need to work with what we've already got; in other words, the lead on Katara's face. _But!_" Aang quickly put his hand up before he could be interrupted. "But, some of us need to stay here and continue investigating Suki's case. And then, as soon as we've found something useful, we'll go after her too, whether we have Katara's face back yet or not. Those of us not going anywhere –" he looked at Iroh, Gran-Gran and Toph "– will be the ones who keep each group informed of what happens back here and what happens with the other group."

Toph chuckled, "Jeez Twinkletoes, I really gotta say, you know how to handle this shit."

"Thank you," he smiled proudly. Then he made her face serious once more.

* * *

"_How wasn't it simple?" Suki pushed on._

_Sokka chuckled to himself, "Well, let's just say I didn't warm up to her quite as quickly as the others did." _

_She gave him that look that quite clearly told him he needed to explain a little better. _

_Sokka sighed and kicked his boots off. He pulled his shirt off over his head and threw it away from the bed before crawling under the blankets of the bet and indicating for Suki to do the same. _

_Once she was cuddled snugly up to him with her head on his shoulder, she looked up at his face again. As he lay back, she could see in his eyes that he was deep in thought. _

"_I blamed her for the fact that you very well may have been dead. I wasn't planning to forgive her for that possibility any time soon. But... one night, the others decided that it was my turn to keep an eye on her. She wanted to go for a walk, and Zuko made me go with her, of course. We sat down and... well, we started having a fight."_

"_Oh... was it about me?" she asked, sitting up on her elbows so that she could see him better._

_He nodded, "That's how it started. I expressed my thoughts on her and how I thought she was a monster and had an easy life and didn't know what it was like to lose anyone she loved. That set her off and I ended up getting a really unexpected and teary confession out of her. There were so many things about her that I never knew, and never would have guessed. But then, it made perfect sense that stuff like that had happened to her, and it was the reason she acted the way she did."_

"_What __**stuff**__ had happened to her?" Suki probed._

"_She'd had just as hard a time with getting her dad to love her as Zuko had. Difference was, she'd succeeded in finding a way to do it, whereas he hadn't. She'd been pretending for her dad her whole life. There were so many things she hadn't been able to do, or fix, or say, or show because of him. It ruined her relationship with Zuko and her mum. She hadn't been able to show her pain when they'd lost their mum either." _

"_That's really sad... but, Sokka, how does this relate to that Admiral Shang guy?"_

_Sokka forced a pained smile, "That was the big one that she told me. She told me... she was in an arranged marriage with a man who her father had let beat and rape her a number of times. That was Admiral Shang." _

"_Oh gosh..." _

"_After finding out what had made her who she was, and who she really was inside... that's when I fell for her. And she fell for me too. We shared a few moments... and then, one night, Zuko and Katara had disappeared for a walk, and she and I were the last two awake. Some stuff happened, and then I fell asleep... and when I woke up again, she was gone."_

_Suki blinked her confusion. "Why? Where'd she go?"_

"_Back to the Fire Nation," Sokka said. "We didn't realize why until it was too late – much too late. Our first thought was that she was going to go and tell her father everything she knew about us and our plans to overthrow him. But no... she went back to help us."_

_Sokka's face became filled with pain once more, conflict dancing in his eyes. Suki moved so that her face was in front of his and she was leaning over him. She pressed her lips gently to him and let him deepen the kiss. When she pulled away, she stroked his hair soothingly._

"_What did she do to help?" Suki asked._

"_She... was going to go through with the arranged marriage. The reason the guards were all at minimum that day we attacked was because of her. We didn't know until after." He opened his mouth to continue, but then he closed it again. Pain kept dancing across his face, hardening his eyes, tightening his lips. Suki put a soft hand on his cheek and he shut his eyes, allowing a single tear to leak silently down his cheek. _

"_Sokka?" _

"_She died that day, fighting alongside her brother, against their father. Her father killed her... and nobody could save her. Yet she still managed to help us win the final battle in her spirit form." _

"_And after that," Suki went on for him. "She and Yue handed you over to me, because they wanted you to be happy and to be safe."_

_Sokka nodded, that pained smile still in place, "Exactly."_

"_I had no idea..."_

"_Not many people do..."_

"_I'm so sorry..."_

* * *

"So, what I think we should do," Aang continued, "is send a couple of us up to the North Pole to see what we can find up there, while the rest of us stay here and keep trying to figure out Suki's case."

"Good thinking, Aang," Toph smiled admiringly, punching the monk in the arm.

"Great!" Ty Lee smiled. "So, who's going where?"

"I'm going to the North Pole," Zuko decided immediately. "No question about it."

Ty Lee swooned, "That is so cute..."

The Fire Lord looked at the faceless woman in the hospital bed, "She's my Katara... I have to do this for her."

"Aw..." The acrobat cuddled up to Windu and the warrior put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck with his nose. "Would you do that for me too?" she asked him.

Windu nodded, "Definitely."

"Well, who's going to go with Zuko?" Aang asked the room.

"I'm doing whatever Windu is doing!" Ty Lee announced.

"I'm doing whatever Ty Lee is doing!" he matched, grinning at her.

Aang sighed, "Well, I'll assign you two onto Suki's case, so you get to stay here until further notice."

The happy little couple smiled at each other and rubbed their noses together.

Aang turned to the last person to ask, "Sokka? Where will you be going?"

The Water Tribesman blinked, as if slapped across the face by the question.

"I... Um..." He looked between Zuko and where Ty Lee and Windu stood, lost. "I don't know," he said flatly. "Suki is my wife! But..." He looked at the young woman in the hospital bed. "Katara is my little sister... it's my life-long job to take care of her... but... Suki..."

Toph touched his shoulder, "Sokka, we have no lead on Suki just now..."

"I know, but that could change any minute!"

"Yes, but..." Toph bit her lip. This was selfish, but... she didn't want Aang to go to the North Pole. And she knew that if Sokka didn't, then he would.

"Sokka," Aang stepped forward with a reassuring smile. "Go with Zuko to the North Pole. I'll stay back here and do what I can for Suki. We will find her, I promise."

Sokka looked up at his friend and smiled, "Thanks, Aang. You're the best." The boys embraced briefly and then Sokka went to stand beside Zuko. "So, when are we heading off?"

"Soon," Aang answered for him. "I'll let you guys take Appa, I doubt Suki and her kidnappers crossed water, we'll use some other form of transport if we head off after her before you guys get back. You guys should leave in the morning. We'll write and keep you informed."

"_I'll_ write and keep you informed," Iroh corrected. "We don't want to swamp them with letters. Make sure you boys write back."

"Yes, Uncle. Thank you," Zuko said, stepping forward to hug the old man.

Iroh patted his nephew's back, "You can do this, Nephew, I know you can."

"Of course, Uncle," he smiled. "I've done it before, after all."

"Okay guys, your objective is to locate Koh, nothing more. There isn't really anything else you _can_ do, and I don't want you guys taking the risk of losing your faces too," Aang said. "When you find him, let us know and we'll figure out what to do from there. Then you just have to keep track of him and make sure you let us know whenever his position changes."

"You got is, Aang," Sokka said, though the up-beat persistence that was usually in his voice was missing.

After a moment, Iroh stretched his arms in a wide arch over his head, yawning dramatically. "Well, I think we should call it a day. Much has happened and we are all tired. I think we should all have a good night's rest. Tomorrow will be another big day, especially for you two, Zuko and Sokka."

"Sounds like a plan," Windu mumbled.

"Goodnight guys."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

"See you in the morning."

"Everyone, meet back here at dawn and we'll see the boys off," Ty Lee chimed.

"Good idea, sweetheart."

"Goodnight guys."

Zuko and Sokka were the last two standing in the room, either side of Katara's bed.

"Are you going to bed?" Sokka asked.

"I was thinking of sleeping out here with Katara," Zuko said.

"So was I."

Zuko looked him up and down, "What about Sayu?"

"What about Skye?" he countered.

Zuko sighed.

"Boys?" the doctor asked, sticking his head around the corner. "You can both go to bed, she'll be fine here. The nurses and I will take turns watching her and Mai. The others were right, you do need your rest."

"...Could you here everything?" Sokka asked incredulously.

He nodded with a faint smile, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it's hard not to hear conversations from back here. The place tends to echo. The nurses heard everything too." A few young ladies poked their heads around the corner and smiled.

"We'll take care of her and see you in the morning. Go on to bed."

Sokka and Zuko nodded, "Thank you."

* * *

"_Do you still think about her?" Suki whispered, a little afraid of his answer._

_Sokka took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and slowly let it out again, "Yes, of course. Just as I still think about Yue. They're important to me, and I loved them. I still love them." _

_A look of confusion contorted Suki's face and he turned to face her smiling._

"_Calm down, I've moved on. They're dead, Suki. But I shared good and bad moments with them both, and I'm not about to just banish them from my memory. Do you understand what I mean?" he asked gently. _

_She smiled sadly and nodded, "Yes, I understand, Sokka."_

"_I love you."_

"_I love you too." _

* * *

She felt both of them kiss her on the head, touch her hand, vibrate the air between them with words... words she could not hear. She could not return their kisses, or smell their scents. But she could still feel them, at least, and somehow, she knew it was them, and she knew that everything was going to be okay. They were going to take care of her.

_It's times like these that I wish I was Toph; then I wouldn't need my eyes to see..._

Had it not been for the fact that her lips were not on her face, she would have parted them in a sigh. So this was what it was like to be blind. And deaf. And completely and totally helpless.

_But at least I can still feel. At least I can still think._

She wished she could tell them that she was okay. She knew they were worried... but something about the atmosphere of the room earlier told her that something more had arose from the situation.

* * *

**Late, I know, but at least it was a decent whack of a chapter, was it not? I mean, c'mon, that was like 7 pages in Word :) I really hope you guys liked it, so please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. Remember, I need four (4) or no update. **

**So what did you all think of the flashbacks, and everything else that's happened this chapter? How about that last bit with Katara? Appa wants YOUR opinion – say something about it in your review!**

**And Team Zutara is still growing slowly towards the 100 mark. Gather the fellow Zutarians! **


	8. AN: ON HIATUS!

**A/N: ON HIATUS! **

**It has come to my attention that this story has not been updated in almost two months now. I cannot blame writer's block, it is not that. It is simply that I have not had the time and motivation to sit down and get around to it. School life plus social life is not kind to me and my writing. On top of that, work and trying not to get fat… What is this world coming to?**

**I would like to thank my readers for their patience and apologize for not updating, but I just have too much going on in life right now. Unfortunately, I am going to have to put this story on hiatus until further notice, because looking ahead I cannot see where I am going to have time to be able to get down to my writing again. **

**Really sorry guys, please don't kill me. I'll let you know when life's back on track enough for me to continue updating. Until then, adieu! **


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